There are contradictions of opinions as for the date and, as we shall further see, also about what orchestra was the first one to record it.įor Legido and for Matos Rodríguez´s grandniece, Rosario Infantozzi Durán, the dates are in 1917 and the first recording was by the Alonso-Minotto orchestra. “ La cumparsita” was initially a little march, composed by the young student of architecture, Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodríguez on an uncertain date, that we can place between the late 1915 and the early 1916, for the carnival marching band organized by the Federation of Students of Uruguay, precisely for the on-coming celebrations. Some of these additions have been, let us say, consecrated such is the case, for example, of the variation for bandoneons composed by Luis Moresco around 1930.» Horacio Ferrer, in his work El Libro del Tango states: «“ La cumparsita” has been subject to every kind of embellishments, many times originated in “ad lib” interpretations: counter lines, passages in counterpoint and variations of the most different invention. And, proudly, he is convinced that his authorized rendition of “ La cumparsita” is the best in existence.»
Each leader of a tango orchestra has his own arrangement, his personal rendition of the celebrated tango.
“ La cumparsita”.has the peculiar virtue that its musical structure wonderfully lends itself to be embellished by orchestrations of higher level, everything fits well with “ La cumparsita”: counter melodies for violins, variations for bandoneons and other important instruments, besides other attractive musical effects that arrangers and leaders ably take advantage of for showcasing their own outfit. The maestro Francisco Canaro in his book Mis bodas de oro con el tango emphasizes: «. If we take into consideration Astor Piazzolla´s opinion, the mystery is not cleared out, even more, it gives rise to an argument, because even in the land of Matos Rodríguez he dared to say that “ La cumparsita” was the worst of all tangos, «.the most awfully poor in the world.» a real phenomenon, that maybe we do not need many words to explain it because it comes from the crowds´ hearts, that felt touched by the simple and clear texture of its melody.» What mystery is hidden in its bars that they succeeded in becoming the choice of so many and so different people?įor the researcher Juan Carlos Legido in his book La orilla oriental del tango, it is «.
T is undoubtedly the tango most widely spread, the one that every person recognizes notwithstanding its version, the one used as icon to represent the genre, the one most recorded in Argentina and in the rest of the world.